Peter Cincotti ∙ My Favorite Time of Year

Listening to Peter Cincotti is like receiving a beautifully wrapped Christmas present. The outside of the gift is appealing to the eye, meticulously adorned with bright, shiny paper and festive ribbons. Inside, where the true importance of the gift lies, is filled with magic, wonder and creative excitement.

The dashing 20 year-old crooner-songwriter-pianist, who is listed in the December 1 issue of People Magazine as "2003's Sexy Singer," has released two yuletide-flavored songs on the promotional CD, Peter Cincotti: My Favorite Time Of Year (Concord Records), just in time for the holidays.

Cincotti debuts his swinging and toe tapping piece, My Favorite Time Of Year, collaborating once again with his mother, Cynthia Cincotti, who wrote some inspiring lyrics about Christmas time in the Big Apple. The jazz phenom is backed by Barak Mori, bass; Kenny Washington, drums; Scott Kreitzer, tenor sax; and Barry Danielian, trumpet. Kudos to David Finck for an outstanding arrangement on this holiday classic-to-be.

Also represented is My Favorite Things, from Rodgers' and Hammerstein's immortal masterpiece, The Sound Of Music. Drummer Mark McLean joins the support team of Mori and Kreitzer on this classy Cincotti arrangement.